School of Natural Sciences

Researchers Rebuild Microscopic Circadian Clock That Can Control Genes

February 10, 2026

Blue-green algae in flasks are used by researchers at UC Merced and UC San Diego to further the understanding of circadian clocks. Image courtesy of UC San Diego.

Our circadian clocks play a crucial role in our health and well-being, keeping our 24-hour biological cycles in sync with light and dark exposure. Disruptions in the rhythms of these clocks, as with jet lag and daylight saving time, can throw our daily rhythms out of whack. But a group of...

Continued Smoking Can Spread Cancer, Research Shows

Cigarette smoke cannot only cause cancer, but it’s also responsible for the spread of it, according to research by UC Merced biochemistry Professor Henry Jay Forman. Forman discovered tobacco smoke...

Researchers Discover Protein Critical for Tissue Regeneration

A flatworm known for its ability to regenerate cells is shedding more light on how cancer could be treated and how regenerative medicine could better target diseases, according to researchers at the...

Impact: Ecologist Simulates Climate Change with Infrared Heaters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06VNtISfSycClimate change is leading to higher temperatures around the world, forcing plants, trees and animals to adapt to new conditions or relocate, often to higher...

Professor Awarded Collaborative Grant in Solar Energy Conversion

UC Merced applied math Professor Boaz Ilan is a major contributor to a national research team exploring a novel way to use fractal geometry to improve the production of electricity in solar panels...

Graduate Student Focuses Research on Infectious Disease

Mufadhal Al-Kuhlani came to UC Merced to help reduce the threat of harmful diseases through innovative research. Al-Kuhlani is studying immunology within the Quantitative and Systems Biology graduate...

Community-Engaged Research Serves San Joaquin Valley

About 180 people attended a conference at UC Merced that connected researchers with community members working to improve the lives of the San Joaquin Valley’s young people. The December...

Graduate Student Finds New Career in Military Research

As a chemistry teacher at Golden Valley High School in 2004, Scott Seronello frequently told his students to keep working at their education and never give up their dreams. Then his students asked...

Campus' Math Course Launches UC Online Program

A calculus course at UC Merced marks the first class to be offered through the University of California's online instruction project, with several more courses to be rolled out in early April. The...

Researchers' Refinement Increases Solar Concentrator Efficiency

A team of researchers at the University of California, Merced, has redesigned luminescent solar concentrators to be more efficient at sending sunlight to solar cells. The advancement could be an...